Renters to gain more protection post Brexit

Private renters need more protection from unexpected rent hikes after the UK voted to leave the European Union, the policy manager of the Generation Rent charity has said.

Dan Wilson Craw said the Brexit vote has made things uncertain for people – meaning they require more security.

After the UK voted for a Brexit Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to step down, the value of the pound plumetted and Scotland put the wheels in motion for another independence vote.

He said: “The decision to leave the EU plunges us into a period of economic uncertainty and the government must now give everyone some security in their homes.

“For private renters, that means protection from unexpected hikes in the rent, and protection from eviction if their landlord panics and sells up. Recent first time buyers might also find themselves in a precarious position if interest rates rise.

“Whatever happens to house prices in the short term, we still have a chronic shortage of homes, and our elected leaders need to shore up new supply. Any fall in property values demands a strategic response by local authorities to buy up homes and land, and start providing homes for people on low incomes.”